Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Only when the airplane flew over the pyramids I could believe I was actually here. The land of Cleopatra and Tutankamen: Egypt.

My first task was to find an apartment. I found a great place in 3 days! I was worried the first couple of day because the apartments were way too expensive for my stipend. But thank God I found a 3 bedroom one in the coolest area of town, El Maadi. I got quaint white bedroom with two big windows and a balcony with a view of my tree-lined street. School is great. Nice campus and a fun group of teachers. Very diverse crew: single and married, younger and older. There are Egyptians, Americans, Europeans and and one Latino, me. :o) Our common trait is that we all love to travel. Together we have taught in 52 countries. A week ago we had a dinner and dance at a posh Cairo hotel and yesterday we went to the pyramids. Students start on Sept 2, so I have a week to get ready for my 22 students. I will teach Math and Science to 2 groups of 5th graders.

Every day I thank God for the opportunity He gives me to do what I love. To teach, to travel, to explore this amazing world He created for us.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Bucharest's unmistakable Palace of Parliament, due to its immense physical, psychic and historic stature, is perhaps the most controversial building in Romania. Meant to be the crowning achievement of 'Centrul Civic' or 'Civic Centre' - Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu's ambitious urban development plan - the Palace of Parliament represents one of the most extravagant and expensive building projects in the history of mankind; certainly of the last century. Claiming superlative as the world's second-largest building by surface area (after the sneakily spacious US Pentagon), the Palace of Parliament is one of Romania's biggest tourist attractions.

Note: I took the pic on my first trip to Bucharest in 2008. Little did I know that I'd be living here 2 years later. :o)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Two friends and I took the night train from Cairo to Aswan. 14 hours of travel. Yeah, that’s how I roll. I did not have a ticket because I was told I could buy one once on board. I boarded the train and it was practically empty, but I got worried in Giza when a bunch of people got on the train and I had to move out of the comfy seat I had. In the end I got the very last seat in the "foreigners" car (first class with AC). This sort of thing happens often to me. I guess my optimism hasn’t failed me yet and I hope it never does!

After 14 hours on the train we arrived in Aswan. Aswan is a quaint little town by the Nile in southern Egypt, only 3 hours north of Sudan. That afternoon we went to Philae Island to visit a temple built with Roman and Greek influence. The classical Egyptian hieroglyphics don’t cease to amaze me. We also visited the dam that forms Lake Nasser, one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world. When we returned to town we had a couple of beers as we watched the sunset overlooking the Nile. We ended the day sailing on a felucca with a cool Nubian dude. This part of Egypt is also called Nubia. That night we ended up on the other side of the Nile with the most beautiful full moon you can imagine. The wind blowing as we sailed in the Nile. It was definitely worth the 14 hours in the train.

My friends got on a cruise the next day. Before that we went on one more felucca ride to visit a Nubian village where they bought “galabeyas”, the traditional robes worn by Egyptian men. I stayed in Aswan because I had made plans to travel to Abu Simbel, a spectacular site where Ramses’ II ego is carved out of a mountain in the form of 20 mt (60 ft) tall statues. I had to wake up at 3 in the morning to take the mini-bus. The site can only be visited from 6 to 9 am, as the heat after that time is unbearable. After 3 hours I arrived. Abu Simbel is such a majestic example of ancient Egyptians’ mastery of the sciences and arts. Not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world but their removal and reconstruction was an historic event in itself.

When the temples (280 km/170 miles from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation which began in 1964and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an artificial mountain. Most of the joins in the stone have now been filled by antiquity experts, but inside the temples it is still possible to see where the blocks were cut. You can also go inside the man made dome and see an exhibition of photographs showing the different stages of the massive removal project. Impressive.

I left Aswan the next day after trying to buy a train ticket three times. For some reason they would not sell it to me. I had to go talk to the chief of the tourist police and literally beg him to approve me going in the 2nd class wagon. Apparently the 1st class foreigner’s wagon was sold out. I explained I needed to get back to Cairo to teach and he finally wrote me a sticky note for the train ticket teller. I got a ticket after waiting over an hour in the local’s ticket window. Everyone kept cutting the line and at some point I had to tell a supervisor and he took me up front I told the teller to sell me the ticket. Yeah, that’s how I roll. My train left at 8 pm that night. I spent my last day walking around the bazaar, went swimming and read by the pool of the Isis hotel. I was so glad I did, because the temperature was about 45 C (110 F). No wonder tours to Abu Simbel go so early in the day.

One of the most memorable moments of the trip is having seeing a mirage in the desert. After exploring the amazing Abu Simbel site. In the minivan looking out the window on the way back to Aswan, when I suddenly saw what looked like a lake in the middle of the desert. I smiled and thought: Yes, that’s how I roll.

Friday, April 1, 2011

I am exhausted. I left Chetumal, the Mexico-Belize border, at 6 in the morning. I just arrived in Flores in northern Guatemala. It is 3 pm. In 4 hours I take an overnight bus to Guatemala City. By the time I arrive there it will be exactly 24 hours of travel. I will have crossed 2 borders and been in 3 countries.

What is travel to you?

Traveling to me is more. It is more than discovering deserted beaches, exploring ruins in the middle of the jungle, admiring amazing landscapes or strolling down quaint little towns. Traveling is much more than meeting friendly and captivating people on the road. Traveling is much more than the thrill and joy of new adventures. To me travel is life. And, like life, travel does have its challenging days as well as its glorious ones. Travel, and life, has its unexpected turns, good and bad. Life brings us tender moments but also tough situations. What truly matters is how we react to them.

I have been on the road for two weeks and I have no clean clothes. The humidity and the heat in this part of the world are suffocating. I am sticky and dirty. But, believe it or not, I am happy ! I ran out of shampoo. I miss my bed and my pillow. I can't wait to get home. Yet, I am enjoying myself!

In my camera I have lots of pictures. In my journal there are many words. In my heart I carry many memories of this trip. In Flores I had a fun conversation with the fisherman who took me around the lake in his boat after he saw me watching the sunset. There was a full moon and I will never forget its reflection on the water with the Flores lit in the background. The bus driver from Belize drove like a madman so I prayed the whole way to Flores. I will never forget that ride! We all have felt proud after we have accomplished something through our hard work and initiative. Like traveling 24 hours straight to get to a beautiful beach and live two weeks that you will remember for the rest of your life. I don’t travel to escape, I travel to live. And I love living as much as I love traveling.

Every day, no matter where we are, we collect images, words and memories. Let’s enjoy them to the max! And may our attitude help us overcome the ones that are not so easy!